Conventionally, electrical power sources that can charge or discharge electrical energy are provided. It is well known that this kind of electrical power source is used for various sorts of purposes. For example, an electrical storage device as an electrical power source (e.g., a secondary battery, a capacitor, and etc.) is applied to a vehicle equipped with a power source (e.g., a motor and etc.) driven by using electrical energy, and the vehicle can run by using driving force generated from the power source. This kind of vehicle includes, for example, an electrical vehicle (EV) and a hybrid vehicle (HV).
Various sorts of methods and configurations are provided for accumulating electrical energy (hereinafter referred to as “charge”) to the electrical storage device which is applied to the above-described vehicles (EV, HV). For example, a configuration for this type of charge includes a configuration in which a commercial electrical power source fed to standard house is used as an external electrical power source, and a configuration in which a motor is performed as an electrical generator depending on driving condition of a vehicle (that is, when so-called regeneration brake is performed) and the motor is used as an internal electrical power source.
Further, several methods and configurations are provided for releasing electrical energy (hereinafter referred to as “feed”) to a predetermined electrical-power-fed object from an electrical storage device applied to a vehicle, from the viewpoint of protecting environment and alleviating shortage of electrical power in a time of disaster, etc. For example, one of conventional devices for charging-and-discharging electrical power (hereinafter referred to as “conventional device”) is applied to an electrical power charging-and-feeding system (so-called HEMS) between a vehicle and a house. In this conventional device, a control signal which varies depending on whether a cable connected to the vehicle is a charging cable or a feeding cable is sent to the vehicle through a predetermined signal line (a signal line for transmitting the CPLT signal defined in the after-described standard), and thereby the vehicle is controlled so as to perform either “charging to the vehicle” or “feeding to the electrical-power-fed object” (see JP 2010-035277 A).
Incidentally, in regard to vehicles that can charge electrical storage device(s) in the vehicles from house units, the “SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler” is provided as a standard in the USA by the SAE international (November 2001, Society of Automotive Engineers). Further, the “General Requirements for Electrical Vehicle Conductive Charging System” is provided as a standard in Japan (Mar. 29, 2001, Japan Electric Vehicle Standard).
In the standards indicated above, for example, a standard for control pilot is provided. Specifically, the control pilot is defined as a control line that connects: a control circuit of the EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) that feeds electrical power from an internal line to a vehicle; and a grounded part of the vehicle, via a control circuit in the vehicle. And, it is determined based on a signal (so-called CPLT signal) transmitted through this control line (the control pilot) whether or not a charging cable is connected to the vehicle, whether or not charging from an electrical power source to the vehicle is allowed, the rated current of the EVSE, and etc.